JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed Kin Mining has exercised its option to buy a used 2.5 MW ball mill and new intertank screens and agitators for the carbon-in-leach (CIL) tanks at the Leonora gold project, in Western Australia.
The company bought the ball mill and CIL components from mining equipment company Maca-Interquip for A$1.27-million.
This purchase completes the acquisition of necessary key equipment required for the development of the Leonora gold project, where development is under way.
In addition to the essential drive train components, the ball mill comes with a spare motor, and a gearbox and pinion, along with engineering details that will serve to reduce installation costs. The ANI mill was last used at the Mount McClure gold operation in Western Australia and is in good condition.
The six intertank screens and agitators are unused and in new condition.
The installation of the 2.5 MW ball mill, which forms part of the upgrade of the Lawlers plant at Leonora, will provide single-stage primary grinding of the Cardinia ores at a yearly throughput rate of 1.5-million tonnes a year.
Kin MD Don Harper on Thursday noted that Kin had been fortunate to secure this long-lead equipment at a competitive price.
“Our construction team can now commence refurbishment work to ensure it can be installed according to the [project’s] development schedule,” he said.
The Leonora gold project has indicated and inferred resources of 22.3-million tonnes grading 1.4 g/t gold for 1.02-million ounces of contained gold, as well as a maiden ore reserve of 7.9-million tonnes grading 1.5 g/t for 373 000 oz.
The operation will produce 372 000 oz of gold in its seven-year operating life, averaging 55 000 oz/y.
Kin is targeting plant commissioning and first gold production in the second half of this year.